Duke reaches 10-0 despite depleted roster

DURHAM, N.C. - DeMarcus Nelson came to Duke as a can't-miss backcourt prospect, the career scoring leader in California prep history.

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About a third of the way through his first season with the Blue Devils, the 6-foot-3 Nelson gets most of his playing time at power forward, where he often goes against players 5 or 6 inches taller.

"I never expected to do that, that's for sure," Nelson said.

Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski has no choice. With forwards Shavlik Randolph (mononucleosis) and Reggie Love (broken foot) out for the next few weeks, someone needs to help center Shelden Williams in the paint.

Junior Lee Melchionni got his first start there Wednesday night against Princeton, and Nelson and former walk-on Patrick Johnson were the only other options. Thanks to some attrition in the offseason, fifth-ranked Duke started with only eight recruited players anyway, leaving very little margin for injuries.

Yet that's exactly what has happened, even if Coach K isn't complaining.

"We have some injuries, but come on, we're playing basketball," he said. "If we make excuses because of injuries, we're complete idiots. Hey, this is the hand we got, so let's play it."

So far, so good. The Blue Devils are 10-0 for the fourth time in the past five seasons, including victories over Michigan State and Oklahoma. After playing Temple on Saturday, they get into the bulk of their Atlantic Coast Conference schedule next week with a trip to North Carolina State.

That's the first of 13 straight league games.

"Our team right now is coming together tremendously, and when Shav and Reggie come back, we'll have other guys with game experience, and we'll be a force to reckon with," Melchionni said.

Despite the confidence shown by Krzyzewski and Melchionni, the Blue Devils do have some problems. In back-to-back victories over Clemson and Princeton, they averaged only 61 points, down from about 85 in the first eight games.

The style of play in the past two clearly has been methodical and dictated mostly by the opponent, but Duke still has shot only 37 percent. J.J. Redick scored 21 points against Princeton - on three baskets and a 14-for-14 effort at the free throw line - and he was the only player in double figures for the Blue Devils.

"I think it's important for us to come out and play better offense on Saturday," Redick said. "It'd be great for us to get it going."

They need players such as Nelson and Melchionni to step in and perform up to the level of the others, something Nelson gave glimpses of Wednesday night.

When the Tigers closed within seven early in the second half, he stepped outside and made a 3-pointer, then added a steal and a dunk minutes later to boost Duke's lead back to 13.

Nelson finished with seven points and nine rebounds.

"Unfortunately, our numbers are going down, and players are getting hurt," he said. "For me individually, it's an opportunity for me to help our team win and to keep this train rolling.

"Having this responsibility on my shoulders is something I've always looked forward to, something I've always had playing basketball."

Nelson's attitude is exactly what Krzyzewski wants to see from his players.

"You don't become a winning team by rationalizing and making excuses," he said. "You become a winner by defeating rationalization and having no excuses. That's the way we're going to run our program."